"Tesoro, the command is up to you. You communicate the situation inside."
There was only one screen, and they couldn't fight while holding it. Darkrai had explained the principle of the screen; he temporarily hypnotized Rotom, allowing the "dream" he saw to synchronize on it.
Due to the uniqueness of the Sing-Sing Fruit's space, being active in that area was akin to entering a dream, enabling the transfer of dreams.
"Alright, go ahead. Darkrai has already found the Singing Demon King of that world."
At this time, in another space, Darkrai floated in front of the opponent.
"I seem to have misunderstood something. You're not some annoying, disgusting thing, but rather a delicacy."
Within the Singing Demon King were many entangled grievances, affecting the host's judgment and leading to a darker inner development. In the real world, Darkrai hadn't perceived the uniqueness of this thing, but here it was different.
Here, formed by the Sing-Sing Fruit, was the Soul Space, a dream space, which meant that those grievances were nightmares, and nightmares were not just passive influences on Darkrai; they were perfect nourishment.
"Where should I start eating? It's truly a difficult choice."
Everything within this space was a dream, meaning it was all within the range of consumption, but Darkrai preferred eating nightmares, making the malevolent collection of the Singing Demon King the most delectable part.
"Never mind, I'm not letting any of it go. Let's start by removing the head."
With both hands, he gathered two Dark Pulses and flung them towards the head of the Singing Demon King. That ugly head seriously affected his appetite; he decided to beautify it first.
Boom! Boom!
The two Dark Pulses exploded on the head of the Singing Demon King. A howl echoed throughout the entire space as Darkrai's attack tore at its soul.
Meanwhile, as Darkrai attacked, Tesoro also communicated the situation, and with fury, Shanks struck the head of the Singing Demon King from the outside.
Under attack from both inside and out, its ability to resist damage was erased.
Seeing the huge scar left on the mask, a hint of joy appeared on Shanks' face.
"Very good, it worked! Tesoro, what's next?"
"Left... left arm, find a way to cut it off!"
Tesoro almost bit his tongue, not because of anything else, but because of Darkrai's actions. He was indeed attacking the opponent's left arm, but during his attack, the opponent's arm gradually disintegrated, then turned into a stream of light and was absorbed into Darkrai's mouth.
The monster they could hardly fight against seemed like a dessert in the hands of the other. Watching Darkrai's enjoyment on the screen, it seemed this thing tasted quite good.
Shanks didn't know what Tesoro had seen, only that he attacked the corresponding position per his instructions. Under the combined attack from both inside and out, the Singing Demon King no longer had its prior chaotic attack capability, now trying its utmost to deal with its current enemies.
Internally, Darkrai was too terrifying; its attacks were ineffective against him, but Darkrai could directly tear at its soul, so it attempted to evade Shanks and the others' attacks from the outside. If it could evade the attacks from one world, it would stand undefeated.
Yet, facing the full force of the Red Hair Pirates, its resistance was feeble.
"The chest! This guy is about to fall, give it all you've got!"
Under numerous fierce assaults, the Singing Demon King retreated step by step, even showing signs of fear. It wasn't the first time it had tried to regain its freedom; though it had failed before, it had merely been sealed again.
But this time was different; Darkrai genuinely intended to end its life.
Previously, it would at most be re-sealed, waiting for a new Fruit Ability User of the Sing-Sing Fruit, for that musical score to seek opportunity again.
With Darkrai's thorough consumption continuing, it would have no chance of unsealing anymore.
"Bastard!!!"
The Singing Demon King roared in rage, disappearing into thin air, retreating back to its place of sealing. At least this way, it wouldn't be entirely consumed.
Inside the Soul Space, Darkrai watched as his treat disappeared, seemingly reintegrating with Uta. To avoid harming Uta, he did nothing else and left the space directly.
In the external world, Shanks had caught the falling Uta from the sky. Uta was severely exhausted and seemed unable to wake up anytime soon.
"Dege! Come check!"
Shanks called for the ship's doctor, who reassured him Uta was alright, finally putting Shanks' mind at ease.
"Thank goodness... But why does Uta look so unwell?"
"She must have had a nightmare; let me take care of it." Darkrai placed a finger on Uta's forehead, and her tense expression gradually eased. Darkrai couldn't control the content of nightmares, but he could consume any nightmares that appeared.
Meanwhile, several fragments of a tattered musical score fluttered to the ground. That was Tot-Musica, which summoned the Singing Demon King. It had never been so shattered before, a consequence of Darkrai's actions.
He had done irreversible damage to the Singing Demon King. For a long future, even if Uta sang that forbidden song again, it wouldn't have the power to break the seal.
The biggest crisis was averted, but new challenges followed. Although Tesoro and Darkrai's timely appearance resolved the demon king, Ellegia suffered irreversible damage.
The town was completely destroyed, and its citizens suffered heavy losses, with at least half perishing in this night's disaster. Given the nation-level destructive power of the Singing Demon King, this was the best outcome of their rescue efforts.
Compared to the original timeline, where all but Gordon in Ellegia perished, this ending was much better, but it was still a tragedy.
Heracross stood worriedly by Uta's side, waiting silently for her to wake up, while Shanks began to ponder the aftermath.
Whether to leave now or stay, when Uta awoke, he would inevitably face this issue. Such a significant event couldn't be kept secret indefinitely, but he didn't want Uta to know what truly happened here.
She was a kind-hearted child. If she learned that those citizens died because the demon king she summoned, she might not escape inner guilt.
Even if she was also a victim of the score, she wouldn't be able to let it go. He needed a reasonable excuse to cover up the truth of what happened.
"Tesoro, you once said Uta's talent could make her a world-famous songstress, right?"
Looking at Tesoro and Stella, who was helping to return the refugees, Shanks seemed to have made his decision.